Injuries or illnesses complicated by the presence of radiological, chemical, biological and other hazardous contaminants present a unique problem to the medical community. Immediate medical care must be delivered to a contaminated accident victim. It is also imperative that these contaminants be contained and disposed of properly in order to minimize potential hazards to victims, attendants, equipment, emergency response vehicles and to the medical care facility. It is necessary to deliver emergency medical treatment while providing a method for removing and collecting the contaminants. In addition, disposal of body fluids from a patient, when there is a possibility that the patient carries any infectious disease, is a particular concern of everyon at risk to contact with the fluids.
Prior art methods for facilitating medical treatment, decontamination and containment of the contaminants from an injured contaminated victim have not been effective. Particularly when the victim is not ambulatory and has extensive contamination, there has not yet been an effective procedure developed to rapidly treat and decontaminate the victim without excess movement of the victim and/or spreading the contaminants.
Prior methods for decontaminating contaminated patients require that the patient be placed in a decontamination unit with concave supports and the like. The decontamination units have been ineffective in totally removing all contamination from the patient, and were unable to provide an enlarged patient support area for use during medical treatment. No device has yet been made available which can be used in combination with standard and readily available ambulance and hospital gurneys and stretchers.
It is a particular concern in the medical emergency treatment field to provide some way to protect the rescue personnel and, if possible the vehicle or treatment location, such as an ambulance, first aid station or a hospital. When an emergency response is needed, every effort is made to help the patient in need, sometimes at unreasonable risk to the ambulance attendant or hospital staff. Accordingly, a self contained unit which would safely decontaminate a patient and protect those coming to his or her assistance would be of great value.
It would be of great advantage to the medical community if a decontamination table could be provided which would facilitate rapid emergency medical care and would permit the removal of toxic chemicals, radioactive materials or biological agents, organisms and other hazardous contaminants from non-ambulatory patients. In addition, such a table would be extremely useful in treating burn injuries and in cooling victims of hypothermia. Such a decontamination table would also be very suitable for use by morticians and medical personnel performing autopsies.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,561 discloses a film holder and drain pan, but it cannot easily be adapted for field use, is not disposable and does not cover the entire patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,171 discloses an autopsy table which is also not disposable and which does not prevent loss of fluids to the environment.